PookyCake, Victoria

A Monument to the "Golden Age" of Prostitution?

Review of The West End Sex Workers Memorial

Unveiled on 16 September 2016, and located at the corner of Jervis and Pendrall (adjacent to St. Paul's Anglican Church), the West End Sex Workers Memorial is a black Victorian-era lamp post with a red, oval-shaped light attached at its zenith. The four sides of the lamp post's base feature inscriptions that offer historical context, remembrance and hope for the future. At its core, the monument is simple and straightforward: a retro lamp post, with meaningful inscriptions and a symbolic red light. There's nothing garish or over the top; however, in this society, whenever we talk about sex in any context, you know there's going to be divided opinions on the matter. The simple fact that this monument was covered by major publications like the Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, Province and National Post speaks volumes in this regard. Sex sells. It also creates interesting debate.

A bit of context: From the mid-1960s to early 1980s, Vancouver's West End was home to a vibrant community of sex workers — something Jamie Lee Hamilton's referred to as a "golden age." Various reports indicate that anywhere from 200 to 300 sex workers could be out on the street at any given night, attracting johns. Depending on what you read (or remember), this community was peaceful and non-disruptive … or they were the exact opposite. In an attempt to remove prostitutes from the area, citizens groups were formed ("Shame the Johns") and, in 1982, (unconstitutional) bylaws were passed. The bylaw was successful in removing prostitutes from the West End, but this ended up being mere displacement as most moved to the Mount Pleasant area and Vancouver's seedy Downtown Eastside — Main and Hastings, especially. According to some, this displacement had the unintended effect of putting a vulnerable population in even more danger (think Robert Pickton), though even I'll admit this last point is impossible to prove. Could some have been in more danger? Absolutely. All? Hmmm …

Advocate Jamie Lee Hamilton and UBC Professor Becki Ross spearheaded the memorial. After doing a number of community consultations in the early 2000s, the duo worked collaboratively with the city and St. Paul's Anglican Church to bring everything together. The city of Vancouver "contributed" $28,000 towards designing, building and installing the Sex Workers Memorial. That monetary figure is significant because that's apparently the amount the city collected from sex workers back in 1982 for bylaw violations. The irony!

Whatever your politics or moral position might be on sex workers, there's no doubt this monument speaks quite aptly to the dehumanization of a vulnerable group. We may not walk in their shoes, but they have essential human rights just like everybody else. I, for one, commend Vancouver for acknowledging this part of its history.

PS: This monument represents Canada's first public tribute to sex workers … that's actually kind of cool; though, of course, Amsterdam was well ahead of the game with its own "Belle" statue.